Contact: Jacquelyn Spruce
Phone: (210) 567-0414
E-mail: sprucej@uthscsa.edu

(L-R) Dr. Bruce Nicholson, chair of biochemistry; Dr. Peter Hart, Dr. John Hart’s father; Dr. John Hart, recipient of the $1 million Ewing Halsell President’s Council Distinguished Chair for Excellence in Biosciences Research; Marian Hart, Dr. Hart’s mother; Dr. Francisco G. Cigarroa, president; Dr. Merle Olson, dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
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The Health Science Center’s President’s Council gathered Nov. 8 at the Pearl Stable for an annual luncheon highlighting Health Science Center discoveries and honoring the donors who make them possible. Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D, president of the Health Science Center, presented the $1 million Ewing Halsell President’s Council Distinguished Chair for Excellence in Biosciences Research to outstanding research leader John Hart, Ph.D.

“Today is a particularly special day because the Ewing Halsell Foundation has contributed a matching gift of $500,000 dollars to the Health Science Center and our President’s Council Endowment, allowing us to award a million-dollar endowment,” Dr. Cigarroa said. “I am extremely proud to present this to Dr. Hart, one of the most remarkable scientists at our university. His cutting-edge research has earned him national recognition as an acclaimed X-ray crystallographer and for his discoveries in the potential causes of Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

Dr. Hart is a professor of biochemistry at the Health Science Center. He works with innovative technology called X-ray crystallography, a method used to visualize the 3-D structure of protein molecules. His expertise in this area was recognized in the prestigious journal Nature in 2003, when Dr. Hart reported a discovery that described why some molecules clump in the hereditary form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

(L-R) Dr. William Henrich, Dr. Merle Olson, Joci Straus, Dr. John Hart, Dr. Francisco G. Cigarroa

Dr. Hart has advanced as one of the nation’s top X-ray crystallographers, and brought his unique skills to the Health Science Center in 1998.

“Because of the support of the President’s Council and our community, the Health Science Center is able to retain individuals of such high caliber who are truly changing the face of health care,” Dr. Cigarroa said.

Dr. Cigarroa recognized several other distinguished faculty members who hold endowed professorships or chairs, and thanked the donors who have made it possible to establish a President’s Council endowed chair each year.

“Endowments are what shape our university and the future of health care,” Dr. Cigarroa said. “And we wouldn’t have these chairs without the support of our donors.”
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The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $500 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $14 billion biosciences and health care industry, the leading sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $34 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 22,000 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and allied health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, allied health, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, visit www.uthscsa.edu.